A wicked, all-day storm -- the latest in a seemingly interminable series -- was poised to drop anywhere from 6 to 14 inches of snow and sleet on the borough, even as our snow-fighting arsenal is depleted.

Staten Islanders scurried in search of rock salt and shovels Wednesday, but found stores like Home Depot in Clifton sold-out.

"I'm going to New Jersey now," said Agnes Pasquale of Rosebank, who struck out at Walgreens and Waldbaum's.

The National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Warning in effect until 6 p.m. Thursday. And the thick flakes were to continue well into Thursday night, as the mercury was to straddle the freezing mark.

The weatherman said winds would gust to about 40 mph.

The heavy, wet snow was sure to reduce drivers' visibility and make travel hazardous. Flat roofs and tree limbs might be vulnerable to collapse.

The New York City Office of Emergency Management issued a hazardous travel advisory for Thursday and Friday and suggested that folks forgo their vehicles in favor of mass transit.

The National Weather Service urged that those who must drive carry emergency kits.

The Staten Island Ferry was to run Thursday, but the city Department of Transportation advised commuters to expect delays and allow extra time.

As for the schools, the Department of Education stressed that safety is the first priority and parents should exercise their best judgment in deciding whether, in fact, to send their children. All field trips were canceled; there was no immediate word on after-school activities.

Families with busing questions were advised to contact the Office of Pupil Transportation at 718-392-8855.

Wagner College is closed Thursday, as is St. John's University.

The city Sanitation Department, with 135,000 tons of salt in hand (so that's where it went!), was deploying 450 salt-spreaders and its fleet of snowplows.

All garbage pickups are delayed.

A silver lining of sorts could be found at the Met Food supermarket on Victory Boulevard in Meiers Corners, where the cavalry arrived in the form of a 4 p.m. delivery of the ice melter calcium chloride. A nine-pound conatiner cost you $12.99.

Manager Sal Formica enforced a limit. Otherwise, he said, "people would buy 10 bags each and it would be gone in an hour."